Reflections on our learnings about

cultural inclusion in early childhood

Presenters:

Cherie Lamb

Ranu James

Rekha Prasad

Elle Hughes

L to R: Ranu James, Elle Hughes Dorothy Brown (C & K), Cherie Lamb and Rekha Prasad

To increase kindergarten participation for children from

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Culturally and

Linguistically Diverse backgrounds

Purpose:

• Professional development

training for educators

• Resource development and

information dissemination

• Policy development to remove

barriers to kindergarten

participation

• Supporting strong linkages

between community and the early

childhood sector

http://embracekindy.com.au

EMBRACE has promoted cultural diversity

in ECEC through:

Partners:

• Poorer health and wellbeing outcomes

• Risk of educational failure

• Exclusion in their teenage years

• Acculturation stress

• Reduced coping strategies

• Limited access to higher education &

employment

• Reduced financial opportunities

• Risk of incarceration

• Resultant cost to society (economic & social)

What happens when children don’t participate in

a high quality ECEC?

What are some of the barriers to

participation for families from diverse

cultural backgrounds that you have

experienced in your service?

Financial barriers

• Cost of kindergarten is prohibitive in Qld.

• Fragmented ECEC system

• Subsidies poorly understood by educators and parents

• Waiting list fees

• Structural poverty and Environmental stress factors:

• Unemployment/ underemployment

• Financial hardship

• Sub-standard housing/homelessness

• Transport is unaffordable/inaccessible

Cultural Safety is “...an environment that is

safe for people where there is:

• no assault, challenge or denial of their

identity,

• of who they are and what they need.

It is about shared respect, shared meaning,

shared knowledge and experience. Of

learning, living and working together with

dignity and truly listening”

(Williams 2008, p213-214)

Are all our children and families ‘culturally safe’?

Lack of cultural safety• Cultural bias in service delivery

• Lack of belonging – no incentive to change

• Racism - enforcing conformity to dominant mainstream

culture

• Educators lack understanding of cultural diversity

Fear of getting it wrong or offending so do nothing

• Entrenched institutional racism

Discriminatory institutional policies,

practices and procedures

(often unintentional)

No ESL provision

Interpreters rarely used

Structural and organisational barriers

• Lack of cultural competence prevents inclusive practice in organisation and governance structures

• Lack of funding to embed cultural competence e.g. ECEC can’t afford:

• staff training in cultural competence

• translated materials

• bilingual workers

• Interpreters

• Limited availability

• Restricted hours of operation

Trauma-related barriers

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families

• Effects of colonisation

• Oppressive legislation

• Stolen generation

Has lead to:

• Intergenerational impact on health and wellbeing of whole

communities

• Negative perception of government services including ECEC

services

• A well founded fear of having children removed

• Differences in educational systems

• The purpose of kindergarten not understood

• May not exist in some countries

• Adaptation may be difficult

• May not rate highly compared to basic survival needs: food, shelter, employment

• Structured learning environment –

o behavioural requirements

o new language

o new cultural normsPaperwork - in English, complicated & stigmatising

Limited shared understanding of ECEC

Families with refugee

experience

• Isolation

• Loss of family and support networks

• Differences in family composition

• Differences in childrearing practices

• Language and communication barriers

Source: Diversity in Practice: A resource kit for early childhood services working with children and families from migrant and refugee backgrounds in the

Nepean area (2011).

• Limited knowledge of systems

• May lack confidence to approach

services

• Lack of awareness of rights and

responsibilities

• Distrust and fear of professionals

More flexible service delivery

Development of cultural competence, meaningful relationships in

communities = increase in participation rates.

Lack of participation in mainstream services

does not indicate a lack of demand but

rather appropriateness.

National favouring “mainstreamisation”

Treating everyone the "same" is not the same as treating everyone "fairly"

or "equally" because the needs and experiences of all people are diverse.

‘Mainstreamisation’ of EC services

What strategies do you use to

assist families from diverse

cultural backgrounds to

participate in early childhood

services?

Strategies used by our community partners to

assist families to participate in early

childhood services.

Developing the cultural competence of all staff through:

• professional development

• resourcing

• support and advice

• participation in professional networks

• personal cultural competence journey

Strategies that work

Cultural

destructiveness

Cultural

incapacity

Cultural

blindness

Cultural pre-

competence

Cultural

proficiency

The Cultural Competence Continuum

• Inclusive policies and

procedures are in

place and reflect your

commitment to

cultural diversity.

• Your staff reflect the

cultural diversity of

your community.

• Continuously reflect

and improve practices

through research and

professional

development.

• Stay up to date with

research.

• Engage with the

cultural communities

in your area.

Aware Sensitive

• Hold beliefs and

engage in practices,

and have policies

that perpetuate and

reinforce historical

notions of Western

racial and cultural

superiority.

• Sufficient

knowledge, insight

and skills to operate

in less culturally

destructive ways.

• Reinforce culturally

biased policies and

practices.

• Foster paternalistic

notions of Western

superiority.

• Working towards

nonbiased policies

and practices that

implicitly or explicitly

encourage

assimilation.

• Inadequate

recognition of

cultural diversity.

• Recognise the need

for culturally

competent practices

procedures.

• Recognise the need

for continuous

professional

development in

cultural diversity.

• Practices and

policies have not

yet moved beyond

tokenism.

• Developed

knowledge and

reflective practices

and skills necessary

to genuinely accept

and respect cultural

differences.

• Your policies and

procedures are

‘living documents’

supportive of your

commitment to

cultural diversity.

• You are also aware

of your own culture

and the how this can

impact upon others.

Cultural

competence

Find more information here: http://ceh.org.au/culturalcompetence

© EMBRACE - Culture in Kindy, 2015

Employment of culturally and linguistically appropriate

support workers

Strategies that work

http://embracekindy.com.au/stories/family-belonging-is-supported-when-staff-

reflect-the-community/

Embed services in local communities

through:

• community-based partnership models &

• alliances with: local health services

schools and

community organisations

families

Engage in continuous

community consultation

• appropriate feedback

mechanisms

Strategies that work

Link services with:

• People who have the cultural knowledge local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations

ethno-specific cultural community groups

Elders

Create opportunities for parents to participate in adult

programs such as: English classes,

parent support groups,

therapeutic groups or

parenting programs run through

or linked closely to ECEC services

Strategies that work

Elimination of physical barriers by provision of practical and material

support directly to families through:

• fee relief

• waiting list payments

• assistance with enrolment paperwork

• transport

• lunch boxes, hats, bags, sunscreen

Engagement of families

via soft-entry activities:

• playgroups

• community barbeques

Strategies that work

Provision of outreach

• home visiting

• advocacy

• establish trust and build sustainable

relationships

• take the time to engage

Strategies that work

How did EMBRACE assist educators, families

and community partners?

Module 1: Cultural awareness

Module 2: Welcome to Country and Acknowledgement of Country

Module 3: Cross-cultural communication

Module 4: Working with interpreters

Module 5: Working with families with refugee experience

Module 6: Building cross-cultural relationships with parents

Embracing diversity in kindergarten

Free e-learning modules

Our policy messages to government

Universal access to free kindergarten

(24 hours p/w for 3 & 4 year olds)

Extend the Kindy Plus subsidy to refugees and

asylum seekers

Do not link ECEC participation to parental

workforce participation

Train and employ more Aboriginal, TSI and CALD

educators & family support practitioners

Ongoing face-to-face cultural proficiency

training for all staff in ECEC

Collect CALD/NESB participation data in all

ECEC services

Thank You

Any Questions?